# Some thoughts on FVF.....



## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

..... to tempt those of you who don't have it.....:heh:

In my mind this is just the best straight virginia out there. It's perfect in every way. Rubbed out or folded and stuffed, it's delicious either way. This is one of the creamiest tobaccos I've ever had, very smooth. Although it's full-flavored, it doesn't seem full-bodied to me. I don't notice any nicotine kick at all. It smokes perfectly to the bottom if dried out properly, ages extremely well (it seems to improve with as little as 6 months), is fairly cheap when available & tastes amazing. What's not to like? 


My advice, open a tin & let it sit for a week or two to "mellow" out. Then enjoy, repeat as necessary. 4 out of 4.


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

I agee Jeff. "Full flavored but not full bodied!" I quite enjoy FVF fresh but can't wait to see what it's like with some age on it. A couple of my tins are just getting to the one year mark and I have to resist the urge to open them! :nono: :ballchain: This is one that is absolutely worth stocking up on.

btw. Thanks again for hooking me up with this fine weed in my time of need. :rockon:


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

I read lately folks saying, "Nyahhhhh.... Samuel Gawith.... nyahhh, Full Virginia Flake is over-rated, blah blah blah. It's just a lot of hype cause it's hard to find but it isn't really that great, blah blah blah." Same folks say the same "blah blah blah" about Squadron Leader, too.

Well, I am here to tell you that FVF and SL were both top-rated smokes long before we had to endure delivery problems. The stuff tasted great BEFORE it was hard to find and it STILL tastes great. Blah blah blah. Common'man has it locked down right. +1


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## Adam (Jun 17, 2010)

Well in that case... Anyone want to trade their FVF for about 100g worth of my SL? :wink: (totally serious though...)


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## Firedawg (Nov 8, 2010)

please delete this thread! oh and smack Jeff on the back of the head!!! What are you thinking man? FVF is hard enough to find and than you post this?  It is good but I only smoke it on such rare occasions since I only have 1 tin and it was aged for many years. Im down to 1 oz in a jar. so basically I have smoked 1/2 oz in 5 months.(whats that like 1 bowl a month?) *%^%*^$$* hoarders! ok I feel better and nice review.


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## Zfog (Oct 16, 2010)

I totally agree, this is currently my favorite VA, although what I have smoked is fairly fresh, I have a bit with about 7 months and am trying to wait for that batch to hit a year before cracking the jar open.:kev:


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

I am mean aren't I?

Seriously, this stuff rocks. I was lucky enough to start stocking up before it became scarce, now I have enough to get me through the dry spell (hopefully). This is one of those that will probably be mind-blowing after a few years, kinda like that Stoney stuff :wink:

The only downside to it is the widely varying thickness of the flakes, especially in bulk form. I greatly prefer the thinner cut flakes, but am more than willing to suffer through the thicker ones too.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

have to agree with you bout FVF jeff, soo yummy. Lovely fruit notes, creamy. And I'm sitting on a pound, fast approaching a year. But I have spotted any crystals yet *bummed*
also have 4 tins from when the last shipment made it to my local B&M heheh
and no I'm not gonna share....tough 
trou


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

I like it a lot and I have almost twelve
pounds of it in my stash, but it's prolly
only my fifth favorite Virginia. 
I like HOTW, Hamborger Veermaster, 
Union Square, and Opening Night better.


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

Jeff! You are so correct and I will go a step further; I even like the thick flakes.:nod: I dry these thick flakes out a little longer than normal, fold and stuff the bottom half of one of my big pipes, rub out the baccy for the top half and sit back with some brew in one hand and my pipe in the other; I have found the "promised land".:ranger:


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Hermit said:


> I like it a lot and I have almost twelve
> pounds of it in my stash...


Geez and I thought I was bad with just over 5lbs socked away! http://www.tobaccocellar.com/RJPuffs

And yes, +1 to Jeff and the Moo, this is something in my "I can't live without it" category. Its just ... right!


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## Zfog (Oct 16, 2010)

Jeez 12 pounds! I have like 1 pound 10 oz. I would like to have maybe 5 pounds put away for a rainy day. Hopefully the stuff pops up at some point.


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## Jeff10236 (Nov 21, 2010)

You know, I am not that huge a VA fan. Then again, I've mostly smoked fresh VA and by all accounts it seems to be at its best after 6mo to a year of aging (so the jury is out for a while I guess). That said, FVF is by far my favorite VA I've tried and a darned good tobacco overall. I definitely plan to buy some when it becomes available again, if I have any budget left after I stock up on SG St. James Flake which I absolutely love (add some perique to a VA and it becomes much more interesting- I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to have the patience to age a VAPer long enough to really get the full effect). Of course, that's if I can get either when SG next becomes available since I now have to deal with that stupid MD law as well as general availability.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

Jeff10236 said:


> I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to have the patience to age a VAPer long enough to really get the full effect.


You don't need patience; you just need to have
more than you can smoke while your stash ages. 

Some of my tobacco will be over twenty years
old by the time I smoke it (if I live long enough). :lol:


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

commonsenseman said:


> ..... to tempt those of you who don't have it.....:heh:
> 
> In my mind this is just the best straight virginia out there. It's perfect in every way. Rubbed out or folded and stuffed, it's delicious either way. This is one of the creamiest tobaccos I've ever had, very smooth. Although it's full-flavored, it doesn't seem full-bodied to me. I don't notice any nicotine kick at all. It smokes perfectly to the bottom if dried out properly, ages extremely well (it seems to improve with as little as 6 months), is fairly cheap when available & tastes amazing. What's not to like?


So Jeff, which do you smoke more of, 1792 or FVF? Just curious.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

CWL said:


> So Jeff, which do you smoke more of, 1792 or FVF? Just curious.


Oh, 1792 for sure. But FVF will always hold a special place in my rotation.


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

FVF observation of mine: 

I bought my first tin of ABF, opened it, and thought "meh. . .good, not great". So I let it sit in it's square, not-at-all-airtight tin for a month or two (during the Maine winter, so it really dried out). When I tried it again it was amazing.

I have maybe 16 oz aging in various jars. I've sampled some that are now 6 months old, and it's not nearly as good as that crispy, dried out tin. In fact, I kept the last couple dried out flakes and stuck them in with some of the aging stuff, so I could compare. 

I know all the conventional wisdom. And aging should be done with original humidity-levels, in a sealed environment. But has anyone else noticed that really dried out FVF is better than "properly" dried? Or, maybe, dried FVF ages faster?


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

CaptainEnormous said:


> FVF observation of mine:
> 
> I bought my first tin of ABF, opened it, and thought "meh. . .good, not great". So I let it sit in it's square, not-at-all-airtight tin for a month or two (during the Maine winter, so it really dried out). When I tried it again it was amazing.
> 
> ...


SG FVF comes sopping wet, little strips of wet rubbery leather right out of the tin. You have to dry it at least a little, else you could get a gurgly soggy smoke. I always leave FVF alone for at least one, if not two, weeks after popping a tin. It does dry a bit in the closed up tin, but I don't let it go bone dry, its harder to handle/fill when it turns to dust. Thats for smoking use only, aging stuff I always leave at the factory-moisture level, hopefully the blender knew what he/she was doing :heh:


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## Diodon nepheligina (Nov 5, 2009)

CaptainEnormous said:


> But has anyone else noticed that really dried out FVF is better than "properly" dried? Or, maybe, dried FVF ages faster?


By far, the best bowls of FVF's little brother, BBF, that I have had were bowls that were loaded and not smoked for 2 or 3 days. The first couple times it was serendipity. Just didn't get around to smoking them. After discovering the difference, I now load a bowl and intentionally let it sit and dry in the pipe a couple days before firing it up.


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